


Red Caps and Wolfsbane

by Sashataakheru



Series: Spook Me fics [2]
Category: The Move RPF
Genre: Community: spook_me, Gen, Gore, Violence, Werewolves, bastardised fairytales, murderous fairies, red caps (fairies)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-27
Updated: 2012-10-27
Packaged: 2017-11-17 03:37:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/547209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sashataakheru/pseuds/Sashataakheru
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Roy is not the most fearsome of Red Caps. Lacking the monstrous appearance of his brothers, he finds himself in the company of a human girl, who offers to take him to meet her grandmother. What should've been an uneventful journey ends in disaster, and Roy has no choice but to flee from his brothers, and start a new life on his own.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Red Caps and Wolfsbane

**Author's Note:**

> I admit I had planned a retelling of Little Red Cap/Red Riding Hood, based on that image prompt, but my pun-obsessed brain decided Red Caps did not appear enough in fiction, and thus, this is what happened. If you don't know what Red Caps are, [wiki will help](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redcap).
> 
> Written for Spook Me Ficathon 2012. 
> 
> Prompts: 'werewolves', and [this image prompt.](http://i879.photobucket.com/albums/ab353/spook_me/Spook_me%20Fairie%20Tales/262_max.jpg)

No one remembers the real story. Little Red Cap wasn't an innocent girl straying from the path into the clutches of a wolf. It told a better story, of course, but it was complete bollocks. The red cap should've been a giveaway, but no one pays attention to Red Caps in woodlands, not when they're meant to be in castles.

The journey through the woods is true enough, of course. We live in a ruined chapel, abandoned long ago because the pastor refused to obey our will. We killed him, and every parishioner who turned up, and now the chapel is ours, buried deep in the woods to keep us safe.

It's a delightful piece of woodland, with a path running all the way through it. There is enough traffic to satisfy us. We only kill when we need to. We kill whatever we can get our hands on. Human blood is richest of all, but we will eat other animals if there is nothing else. Blood is blood, after all. We're not fussy where it comes from. As long as it keeps our caps red, it doesn't matter. That's how we stay alive. Red Caps die without blood to sustain them.

I can't remember how old I am, not really. I feel as old as time itself, though I hardly know why. I don't even know who birthed us, my brothers and me; even though I know we were born at some moment or other through some act or another, I am not aware of how I came to exist. I'm the youngest, though, if that even means anything at all. I am the smallest and the youngest. I'm the original Little Red Cap.

The day had dawned bright and hot, though it was impossible to tell from the cold heart of the woods. The trees were thick and dense, letting little light in. I was thankful for it. I found my older brothers, Kit and Tam, preparing their pikes outside, cleaning them in the fire. I took mine from the side of the chapel and joined them, taking a seat on a stump as I began cleaning the spear.

"You're late again, Roy. Honestly, it's any wonder you manage to survive out there," Kit remarked. "Bloody little runt."

Tam threw me a cleaning rag. "Better be quick. We're almost done. We'll set off without you if you're not careful."

I knew the threat was real enough, though it resulted more in loneliness than danger. I wasn't in the mood to fight them, though. The rag was rough in my hand as I cleaned the old dried blood and mud off. "Go, if you must. I'll be alright. I'll just hold you back."

Kit stuck his spear into the fire one last time, and it came out gleaming and bright. "Right. That's me done." He stuck it into the ground as he adjusted his cap. It was beginning to fade a little, and the colour wasn't as bright as it had been a week ago. "Come on, Tam. I can smell blood out there."

I continued to work, ignoring Tam's final preparations. I watched them go, unconcerned about hunting alone. I daresay I preferred it anyway. I hunted in my own way, not the way they did. They lived up to the myths, the violent dangerous Red Cap, who killed all who strayed across their path, but I had no stomach for it. Tam often teased me that me mam had been human, that I was a changeling, and not a proper fairy. I can't remember enough to know if that's true. I know I looked different to them, though. I did look like a human boy, lacking the talons and red eyes that my brothers had. My red cap made me look like the many children I'd seen wandering through the woods, with their own little red caps, just like mine.

I knew I wasn't human, though. Whatever the reason for my appearance, I was a Red Cap. I needed the blood to survive. I couldn't abide anything else, except perhaps bloody, raw meat, fresh from the carcass. Anything else made me sick, and I knew I couldn't be injured or hurt. I didn't bleed like humans did. I was definitely a fairy. All the magic running through my bones made me quite aware of that.

Perhaps it was because I'd left my pike back at the chapel that day. Maybe I didn't look like a threat without it. I wasn't as desperate for a kill as my brothers, though. I'd taken blood the day before. I was fine. I think I just wanted a walk, to survey the woods without the hunting mindset.

There were other dangerous creatures in the woods, though, not just us. There were some werewolves, and a witch, and several goblins I stayed far away from. There was a grove of fairies down by the stream, and some spirits trapped down an old well. But we were the only ones who hunted. The werewolves tended to hunt elsewhere.

I went to the edge of the woods, staying just out of sight of the path. I had a spot where I could hide and watch all the people travelling through the woods. My woods. A girl in a red cap approached. Most never see me when I sit there, but she saw me.

"What are you doing hiding in that tree? Are ye afraid of the woods?"

I turned to face her. I didn't know what to do. There was no fear in her expression. "No, I just like watching. Where are you going?"

"I'm off to visit my granny. She lives on the other side of the woods," the girl replied.

"What's a granny? Why are you going to visit her?" I asked.

The girl smiled. "Oh, she's lovely. She bakes me cakes, and she's wicked clever. She lives in the woods, but no one attacks her. She scared off a wolf, once! My mother always asks me to take her some jams and wine every week. Granny makes the most amazing things for lunch."

"Oh, she sounds nice. I don't have a granny. I just have my brothers."

She took my arm, and I left the hollow I was hiding in. "Why don't you come with me? It ain't right for a kid not to have a granny to visit. What's your name?"

I was a little afraid. I don't normally have this much contact with humans, but she seemed to be friendly, and it wasn't like I needed to eat. "Er, I'm Roy."

She shook my hand. "Pleased t'meet you, Roy, I'm Eliza. Now, come on, we'll be late for lunch."

Without my brothers to advise me on the perils of pretending to be human, I went with her. I didn't know why, not really. Perhaps I really was a changeling, because I thought she looked very beautiful. She was taller than me, and probably older than I looked. She was older than the other girls I'd seen wearing red caps. I didn't know why all human children wore red caps. It was never something I asked. But we never took children, either. We might need blood to survive, but we liked to pretend we weren't the same as the werewolves, who killed indiscriminately. Perhaps the caps saved them. Perhaps that's why we didn't take them, because we were meant to think they were like us.

I can't really remember what she talked about as we walked. I'm not good at conversation. I don't know what to say to humans, but I did the best I could. I didn't want her to know I was a Red Cap. Maybe we were once human, too. I thought about that as we walked together through the woods. Maybe that's where Red Caps come from, these children with red caps who are taken by fairies and made into spirits. Perhaps that's what I was, once upon a time. Maybe I was once a girl like this, walking through the woods with my red cap on. I wish I could remember anything about where I came from. Maybe then I'd know.

We stopped by the stream, and I remember looking at our reflections, and realising I did look human. There wasn't anything different between us, it seemed. Not that I could see, anyway. I felt - something, as we sat there together. She was very pretty, and she smiled at me sweetly. She touched my arm, and I wasn't really sure what to do. I'd heard about this sort of attraction from the fairies, but I'd never experienced it. It was how humans reproduced, or so they said. The fairies used it to steal babies.

"I - I thought we were going to be late, for lunch," I managed to say. I was afraid she might discover I wasn't really human, and I'd be hunted down. Her granny had fought off a wolf. She must be pretty fierce. I wasn't sure I wanted to hurt this girl.

She leaned in close, and I could see into her brown eyes. And she kissed me. My body flinched, and I had no idea what to do. It was such an alien sensation. And - and then she gasped, and pushed me away. It was only when I looked up that I saw my brothers standing there, their pikes thrust deep into her body. I scrambled away, watching them finish her off, desperate for her blood. I backed myself up against a tree trunk. There was nowhere to hide as I watched them draining her.

Kit offered me some, as if I wanted a snack. I went into a daze. Normally, I don't care about the children, because I never really know them. They're prey like everything else that wanders into the woods that I can kill. The bloodrage overcomes any lingering humanity, and I just kill and drink the blood. But this time, it was different. I was suddenly filled with revulsion for what we do. What we are. I watched their gruesome faces and their talons tear into her, seeing us for the monsters we really are.

Tam looked up at me as he wiped the blood from his mouth. "You cunnng bastard. I'd never have thought to seduce the whelps before killing them. Seems you're just as monstrous as us, aren't you?"

"Where'd you meet her? Edge of the forest?" Kit asked.

I nodded. "She was going to her grandmother's house, and she invited me along for lunch. I was just curious. I've never had a grandmother. I wanted to know what one was like."

Kit grinned wickedly. I didn't like the look on his face. I didn't like it at all. I wished I'd kept quiet. I wish so much I'd kept quiet. Before I could say anything else, Kit had me pinned against the tree. I couldn't look away.

"A grandmother, you say?" Kit laughed and wiped his mouth. "I always knew you were a bloody changeling. Did she tell you where this grandmother lives? I'm still hungry."

Tam joined him. I drew away from his eager smile. His teeth were covered with blood. "Is there an adult to be had? I always like adult blood. So sweet and rich. It's had more time to age properly, not like this young one. Babes haven't lived enough yet."

Kit drew a claw down my cheek. "Changeling, you're going to show us where this grandmother lives, and give her your apologies for the girl not making it. Tell her - tell her she was taken by werewolves. We'll do the rest."

I should've been strong, but I just can't say no to my brothers. Eliza did tell me where we were going. I did know where her grandmother lived. I knew if I didn't lead them to her, my brothers would starve me. Without blood, I would weaken until I was close to death. They'd done it before when I hadn't done what they wanted. At that moment, I was too frightened to say no.

They held my arms as we walked. I had Eliza's basket of gifts for her grandmother. I didn't want to go through with it, but my brothers wanted a feed, and I wasn't sure I could really deprive them of it.

The woods were quiet as we walked. As we got close, Kit and Tam left me, telling me to go on ahead, and wait for them. I watched them disappear into the trees, leaving me all alone.

I had barely taken three steps when I heard a low growl. I could smell werewolves. Did they think I was a human child? I hoped not. I took another step, and caught sight of a shadow fleeing out of the corner of my eye. I walked faster, trying to get away from them.

Just as I was about to take the path that led out of the woods, two big werewolves prowled out in front of me, blocking my path. I could not have killed them, even with my pike. I was defenceless. Perhaps this is how humans feel when they are cornered by wolves.

One sneered at me as it spoke. He was a large beast with many scars all over him. An ear was torn, and he had lost a chunk of fur from one of his paws. "Where are you going, child? You shouldn't be walking the woods on your own. Dangers lurk everywhere."

As I stood there, I had a crazy idea. I could let the wolves get there first to deprive my brothers of an unnecessary kill. They wouldn't stay if werewolves were there. "I-I'm going to my granny's house. She-she lives just on the other side of the woods. Please, can you let me pass?" I said, trying to convince them I was human.

The second wolf came up to me and sniffed me. It walked all around me, and I knew it sensed what I really was. It was slightly smaller than the first, and had fewer battle scars. It still frightened me, though, as it saw right through my disguise.

"Fairy. What is a fairy doing pretending to be human? Are you trying to deceive us?" the second wolf growled.

"N-no, not you, I wouldn't dare - the humans, I'm trying to deceive them. I'm a Red Cap. I am helping my two brothers hunt," I said, opting for the truth.

The two wolves prowled around me, as if they were wondering what to do. A head appeared by my shoulder, and I dared not look at the eye staring right at me.

"Where Red Caps go, lies the food of Kings. The spoils of war shall be ours. Lead on, fairy. The prize shall be ours," the wolf said.

I was relieved, even though I knew I had not done anything to change the human's fate. She would be killed anyway, whether by werewolves or Red Caps. As I led them through the woods, I tried not to think about that.

I tried to imagine how my brothers would react when they saw the wolves at the corpse. It would not be my fault, and my brothers would not get a feed. I don't even know why I wanted to spare her a Red Cap and offer her to werewolves. One fate is hardly better than the other. I still don't know why I did it. Perhaps I was trying to absolve myself.

The werewolves did not walk with me, but kept off the road, keeping an eye on me as they tracked me. I was aware of my brothers, too, but only faintly. Perhaps they were keeping back because of the werewolves.

I reached the house with little trouble. It was a lovely little cottage, with a large garden surrounding it. I couldn't hear anyone inside, but perhaps the grandmother was in bed. Eliza had said she was an old woman, and perhaps she was not very well. The wolves made their presence known as I tentatively walked up the path towards the front door. I took a deep breath before knocking on the door.

"Is that you, Eliza, dear? Do come in, the door is open," came a soft voice from inside.

I looked back at the wolves one more time, and saw them encouraging me to enter. Wondering what I was going to do, I entered, trying to think of something to say that wasn't the truth. I crept through the cool house until I found her in her bedroom, lying in bed. She was thin and looked tired. She was an old woman who had seen better days. She squinted at me as I stepped towards her.

"I-I'm sorry, Eliza couldn't make it, she-"

I froze. There was so much danger around, and now that I knew what a grandmother was, I wasn't sure I could go through with the ruse.

"Yes? Who are you? Did she send you?" the old woman said.

"Y-yes, she did. Eliza sent me to-"

She squinted at me again, and beckoned me forward. "What's wrong? Are you afraid? What are you afraid of? Did something scare you in the woods? Come, tell me all about it."

Not knowing what to do, I left the basket on the ground, and went over to her. I climbed onto the bed beside her, and she brought an arm around my shoulders.

"I can't tell you. I promised my brothers I wouldn't - but then the wolves, they got me and I promised I would-" I stopped. I didn't know if I was doing the right thing.

She smiled reassuringly. "Those wolves won't be coming in. I've planted wolfsbane all around the cottage. You'd be mad to live out here without it. Who are these brothers of yours?"

I shook my head and looked away. I didn't want to tell her. But she seemed so nice. I liked having a grandmother, even for a moment. But just as I went to speak, there was an almighty crash, and I heard growling coming from the front room.

"Oh, no. They can't have - but you said they couldn't - they'll kill you if they find you here. I led them here - they said they'd kill me if I didn't. I didn't want to do this. I just wanted to know what a grandmother was. But they all-"

She silenced me. "You keep quiet, lad. I know a thing or two about werewolves."

She was obviously stronger than I thought she was, because she got out of bed, pulled her dressing gown on, and took a box from the windowsill. I crawled under the bed, not wanting to be seen. I had no idea what was going on. I could hear shouting, and I think I heard my brothers, too. It was such a terrible noise. I cowered under the bed, covering my ears with my hands, as I wondered if I was about to be killed. I was sure she would be taken, and my brothers and the wolves would feed off her.

But then I felt a great burst of magic. I didn't know who had cast it, but I heard a werewolf cry, and then there was more things smashing and glass shattering. There was a loud thud, and some more cries from the wolves. I don't even know if that was it. I closed my eyes and hummed a song to myself, trying to forget about the commotion going on around me. I knew they'd come for me sooner or later. It would be my brothers driving their pikes into my body, or the wolves tearing me apart.

I didn't notice the quiet until a hand reached over and touched my shoulder. I was so startled, and I turned to see who it was, expecting to see Kit and Tam waiting for me. Instead, I saw the woman, smiling at me.

"It's alright, lad. You can come out now. They should know better than to pick on a witch," she said.

"But-but Eliza said you were her grandmother, she - you can't be a witch. I live in the forest. I know what witches are," I said, unsure I wanted to leave the safety of the bed.

"Of course I'm her grandmother. I take it those two Red Caps were your brothers? I sent them packing with the wolves. I hope that was alright. You looked like you didn't want to see them," she said.

"How did you know they were Red Caps? Could you see them? I was going to warn you, I didn't want them to take you like they took-" I clasped my hands over my mouth, refusing to say another word. I thought I'd said too much, and I didn't want her to know what had happened to Eliza.

"I know what happened to her. Your brothers taunted me with that. Rest assured I have hit them with a curse that will torment them for eternity. Now, my little Red Cap, are you going to come out from under my bed?" she said.

I let her bring me out from under the bed. I was still afraid, but I did like that she had cursed my brothers. Maybe they would suffer for what they did. They would never have me back, though. I would be on my own for the rest of my life.

"I suppose you're going to curse me too. I'm a Red Cap, after all," I said.

"I thought you wanted to know what a grandmother was. How would you like to stay and protect this house of mine?"

It didn't sound like a bad offer, until I remembered what my brothers had always told me about witches and Red Caps. "Protect it? No, I've heard of Red Caps who protect witches. They get starved for blood to keep them submissive. I got enough of that from my brothers. If you're going to do that to me, I'll take my chances in another woodland."

She looked offended. "Who said anything about starving? I go out hunting once a week. The blood I don't keep for potions is yours. You seem like a Red Cap who needs a grandmother, not a witch. It's not like I'll have Eliza come and see me anymore, so I could use some young blood around the house. What do you say?"

She did seem nice. And it was true that I didn't have anywhere else to go. Separated from my brothers, they'd disown me. I'd never be able to hunt in that woodland again. Would it be so bad, really, to protect this small cottage?

"What's your name? I'm not going to call you Red Cap," she said, interrupting my thoughts.

I blinked, surprised. I hadn't expected her to care enough to ask. "It's Roy. My name is Roy."

"Roy. What a lovely name. You can call me Elsie. Come on, then. Let's go clean up this mess your friends left behind," she said.

I was still a little shocked. I had never had this kind of experience before. I wasn't used to anyone being kind to me. I was a Red Cap. No one is kind to Red Caps. Except, perhaps, for this witch.

And she was nice. She was kinder to me in the short time we had together than my brothers had ever been. She forged me a new pike, and I was never starving. All I had to do was protect the house, and the blood was mine.

But it didn't last. I never expected it to last. Once she died, the house lay empty. I could only roam the surrounding lands for blood. I was tied to the cottage, and could not leave because I had not been released from my position. So here I stay, still protecting the cottage. I am lonelier than I have ever been. But I'm a monster. I'm not meant to care.


End file.
